


of liz toomes, peter parker, and hamilton

by Dandybear



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: F/M, Female Friendship, Missing Scene, Trans Peter Parker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 06:09:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11663232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dandybear/pseuds/Dandybear
Summary: Liz Toomes says she wants to date a boy that makes her feel like a Halsey song. Or, at least a Taylor Swift song from ‘1989’. The album, not the year.They go to a nerd school. The closest she’s gonna get is some rich fuckboy with access to his parents’ car and liquor cabinet. There are worse things, but few more insufferable. Michelle just rolls her eyes when Liz says stuff like that. She isn’t gonna worry until Liz starts saying she wants a boy who makes her feel like a Lana Del Rey song.





	of liz toomes, peter parker, and hamilton

**Author's Note:**

> kindof songfic set to Satisfied from Hamilton. michelle works through some teen angst about her best friend and her crush. peter is there, but this fic is more about the girls' relationship. and music.
> 
> okay, i'm going back on hiatus now.
> 
> jeb bush voice: please review

September 2016

 

Liz Toomes says she wants to date a boy that makes her feel like a Halsey song. Or, at least a Taylor Swift song from ‘1989’. The album, not the year. 

 

They go to a nerd school. The closest she’s gonna get is some rich fuckboy with access to his parents’ car and liquor cabinet. There are worse things, but few more insufferable. Michelle just rolls her eyes when Liz says stuff like that. She isn’t gonna worry until Liz starts saying she wants a boy who makes her feel like a Lana Del Rey song.

 

Because Michelle does keep an eye on Liz. They have each other’s back in an unspoken ‘we’re the only two biracial girls on the decathlon team and student council’ kind of way. They pair up for projects sometimes. They get to drop the white affectation when they talk. (Because, schools like this pride themselves on ‘diversity’ but there’s a reason why Ned Leeds stopped bringing leftovers from home. Assimilation tastes like cafeteria calzones that are mostly bread, and chicken nuggets.)

 

Liz calls Michelle, ‘MJ’, and they talk about the real shit.

 

Shit like feeling too white at their mothers’ family gatherings and too black at their fathers’ family gatherings. Talk about how they had to google terms like ‘on fleek’ and ‘ashy’ after hearing them at parties and feeling like total posers. They learned black culture from the doctrines of ‘The Fresh Prince’ and ‘Everybody Hates Chris’. And lately, they talk about how fucking good ‘Lemonade’ is.

 

Michelle is sketching Liz in profile. Liz is concentrating on a page of their history textbook. She pauses to scratch her nose. Halfway through ‘Sorry’, she says,

 

“Would you take Jay back?”

 

“No. He’s shown a chronic disrespect for Bey and their marriage. You?” Michelle says.

 

She purses her lips and puts her pencil between her top lip and her nose. Liz still isn’t looking at her.

 

“Yeah. I dunno… I was all like ‘fuck Jay’, but then I heard ‘All Night’ and I get it? Marriage and commitment takes work. People make mistakes and he put in the effort to make up for it. Plus, they had Blue at the time. Now they’ve got three kids.”

 

Michelle doesn’t point out that their differing views might be because Liz’s parents are still together and her own parents divorced.

 

The music shuffles to ‘Guns and Ships’ and Liz gets up to rap along. Michelle just laughs and leans back in her chair to watch.

 

“Their performance of this is amazing.” Liz says, because her family has the kind of money to get tickets.

 

“Mmhm.” Michelle says.

 

Liz smiles at her, “Remember when you were all, ‘The Founding Fathers were a bunch of racist fucks and this musical glorifies them’ about Hamilton and refused to listen?”

 

“I stand by most of that.” Michelle says.

 

“But?” Liz says.

 

Liz Toomes has the superpower of wrapping any person around her little finger with just a look. Michelle hates that lip bite she does. She’s weak for it. 

 

“But, it’s good music and Lin’s from here.” Michelle shrugs.

 

“You still remind me of Angelica Schuyler.” Liz says, changing the song to ‘The Schuyler Sisters’.

 

Why does she have to curse Michelle like that?

 

“Only, it’s 2016 and you get to live up to your boss ass bitch potential.” Liz says.

 

“Thanks?” Michelle says.

 

“It was a compliment.” Liz says.

 

It was a prophecy, because now Michelle can’t enjoy ‘Satisfied’ without thinking about Peter Parker and her big stupid unrequited crush.

 

April 2017

 

“Is it just me, or is Peter Parker looking like… super fine lately?” Gwen says during AP Algebra.

 

She’s not wrong and Michelle stiffens.

 

Liz uses fixing her hair as an excuse to look in Peter’s direction. He’s scribbling furiously in the corner of his notebook and keeps checking his phone.

 

Peter Parker has always been the cutest. He’s been the apple of her eye since he had pigtails and went by the name ‘Penny’.

 

However, he has undergone an advanced puberty since the class field trip to Oscorp that ended with him being taken away in an ambulance.

 

It was an average school trip in that it was boring and a lot of industry talking heads saying hype words about the company. She was literally in danger of vomiting if they said ‘revolutionary’ one more fucking time. The coolest part was the exhibition showcasing some in development and shelved projects. Michelle was looking at some clean energy grids when she heard the yell of pain and turned to see Peter already on the floor clutching his hand.

 

There was screaming. She might have cried, but if Ned tells anyone about that she will punch him super hard in the arm.

 

Peter had to be taken out by some guys in quarantine suits and the trip was cancelled. It was a big thing with signed waivers and everything. Never made the news though. Norman Osborn has great lawyers.

 

Peter was out for a week and when he came back his shirts were tighter in the shoulders and back. Not that Michelle is obsessed, she’s an artist, she notices these things.

 

“Yeah, he’s cute.” Liz says.

 

Peter catches Liz looking and gets that stupid look on his face.

 

Michelle’s iPhone shuffles to ‘Helpless’ and she skips it. Fuck off.

  
  


May 2017

 

Peter disappears for a week in May and says it’s because of an internship with Stark Industries.

 

He eats more now. He’s ploughing through a plate of spaghetti and asking Ned questions about ‘Star Wars’.

 

Peter’s always bucked the nerd boy stereotype and not really cared about science fiction or pop culture. Sure, he’s seen most of the cultural movie milestones, but he’s actually a geek. He cares more about rebuilding classic iMacs he found in the garbage than who can do the best impression of Sean Connery’s James Bond.

 

It makes him a lot more bearable than the guys who play ‘Overwatch’ and ‘League of Legends’ in the computer lab at lunch.

 

“Why the sudden interest, Peter?” She says.

 

He looks up at her, sheepish. He has spaghetti sauce on the cleft of his chin and she wants to wipe it off and kiss him. Disgusted at herself, she catches that feeling and crushes it in the palm of her hand.

 

“You just broke your pencil.” Ned says quietly.

 

“Just re-watched ‘The Force Awakens’. I saw the original trilogy when I was like five and only remember a few things.” He says.

 

“We’ll marathon them this weekend.” Ned says.

 

He doesn’t extend the invitation to Michelle. He never does.

 

↔↔↔↔

 

“Peter dropped band.” She says to Liz over ribs and ‘The Get Down’.

 

Liz licks her fingers and turns to Michelle for a sidelong glance.

 

“Weird. Did he say anything about it?” Liz says.

 

“Nah, just that his internship keeps him too busy.” Michelle is making eye contact with her tomatoes to avoid it with Liz.

 

“Cool. I wonder if Black Widow has an internship. I’d love to learn how to scissor kick nasty dudes.” She says.

 

“Oh my god that would be so cool.”

  
  


September 2017

 

Peter and Ned talk about his crush on Liz and catch flies with their mouths as she walks by. Michelle is getting used to that feeling in her stomach when Peter talks about other girls. As for being constantly ignored? Story of her life.

 

She likes flying under the radar. There’s little expectation of her and teachers are always impressed with her good grades and actually showing up.

 

Unlike Peter, who bails on the decathlon for reasons suspicious and unknown. He’s just been like… dabbing out of all of his responsibilities and it’s getting to the point of pissing her off. He missed her big save. 

 

Why isn’t this her big inspirational movie where she wins the competition and the boy is there and waiting to kiss her like the hero she is? Where’s her swelling horn music? Where’s the slow motion confetti?

 

Instead she reads sullenly in the back of the bus, then sullenly on the bench in front of the Washington monument.

 

She and the rest of the class get a front row seat to Spider-Man saving the day.

 

Peter, on the other hand, gets detention.

 

“Why are you here? You don’t even have detention.” Coach Wilson says.

 

“I like to draw people in crisis. Look, it’s you!” She smiles, holding up her drawing.

 

Coach Wilson gets up and motions with her to come with him. He pauses in the doorway to look at the other students.

 

“Y’all can just keep chilling here for a minute, I’ll be right back.” He says.

 

Michelle puts her books into her bag and clings to it as se follows him into the hall. He shuts the door.

 

“Michelle. You’re a smart kid. Parker is in your league. Just ask him on a date. And quit showing up to detention. What’s wrong with you? Nobody wants to be here. I don’t want to be here and I’m getting paid.” He says.

 

She swallows, that wasn’t what she was expecting, “Maybe I have nothing better to do.”

 

“Get out of here with that ‘Breakfast Club’ bs. Go catch some Pokemon.”

 

Properly chastised, Michelle installs Pokemon Go on her phone and picks a Bulbasaur.

 

↔↔↔↔

 

She and Liz don’t hang out as much. Liz has her more popular and involved friends. She’s always busy with this club or that, but they sync up on a Saturday and end up on Michelle’s bed watching ‘Dear White People’.

 

“Are you sure you’re not feeling personally targeted by this?” Liz teases.

 

Michelle groans, because it is a little bit too close to home. She’s picturing her own voice addressing Ivy League masses to berate them about everyday microaggressions while Liz plays first lady to the dean's son. That's bleak. She's always pictured them working together on this kind of action. Staging sit-in's together and maybe wearing berets. The thought of her and Liz fighting isn't a pleasant one.

Admitting that would be showing weakness though.

 

“‘Cause I’m feeling like something more light and animated anyway.” She lies down and reaches for the laptop.

 

“Yeah, I can do cartoons. What are you thinking?” Michelle says.

 

“Steven Universe or Gumball?” Liz says.

 

“I’m feeling more abstract… let’s go with Gumball.” Michelle says.

 

And it’s nice being fifteen and eating gummy bears in bed together. Liz rests her head against Michelle and says,

 

“I almost died in Washington.”

 

“Yeah. Were you scared?” Michelle says.

 

“I was terrified. If Spider-Man hadn’t been there I would have.” She says.

 

“Good thing he happened to be visiting the Washington Monument that day.” Michelle says, voicing her suspicion.

 

“I just thought… maybe he’s like Superman and can get anywhere super fast.” Liz sits up.

 

“Yeah, maybe.” Michelle checks Pokemon Go on her phone.

 

Another Evee. She puts out a lure.

 

“Peter asked me to the dance.” Liz says.

 

Michelle feels like there’s a whole egg lodged in her throat. She keeps her eyes on her phone.

 

“Oh?” She chokes out.

 

“I said, ‘yes’. He’s nice.” Liz says.

 

_ (If I tell her that I love him she’d be silently resigned.)  _

 

“I just wanted to… tell someone about it. I know that you’re friends.” Liz says.

 

_ (He’d be mine.) _

 

“Live your best life.” Michelle says.

 

“Because I thought you might have a… a thing for him and I want us to be okay.” Liz says.

 

_ (I will never be satisfied.) _

 

Melodramatic internal musical moment over, Michelle stuffs some more candy in her mouth until it hurts her mouth and stomach.

 

“I don’t own him or anything. If he asked you out and that’s what you want. If that’s what you both want, then I’m happy for you.” Michelle says.

 

_ (At least I keep his eyes in my life.) _

 

Musical moment not quite over.

 

And, yeah, maybe she listens to the song on repeat after Liz leaves. And maybe she tears up a bunch of drawings of Peter Parker. And maybe she lies on her floor and stares at the ceiling until her eyes fill up with tears and leak out the sides. And, maybe her mom finds her like that and takes her out for dinner as a bribe to get her to admit what’s wrong.

 

Michelle won’t tell though. About the hypothetical post-Liz situation or about her pathetic one-sided love affair with the skinny nerd she used to be neighbours with.

 

↔↔↔↔

 

Michelle sees Peter through the door as he enters the dance with Liz and does the only thing her heart and brain can agree on doing. She flips him off.

 

He smiles at that and somehow it makes her feel better.

 

She catches Liz minus Peter at the punch bowl and looks around.

 

“Where’s your date?” She says.

 

“Bailed. Took Ned with him by the looks of it.” Liz says.

 

“Damn.” Michelle says.

 

Liz shrugs in aggressively casual way.

 

“Typical. He’s been acting weird since meeting my dad.” She says.

 

“Peter’s been acting weird like… all year.” Michelle says.

 

Liz rolls her lips and nods, then nods harder.

 

“Yeah, honestly, what the fuck is his deal?” She says.

 

Michelle leans forward conspiratorially, “My theory is that he’s a werewolf.”

 

“Damn, that makes him hotter.” Liz says.

 

Michelle tries not to bristle and fails. Liz doesn’t say anything about it. Instead, she grabs Michelle by the wrist.

 

“Come on MJ, they’re playing my jam.” Liz says.

 

“I thought you hated Katy Perry?” Michell says.

 

Liz grooves as she leads MJ to the dancefloor.

 

↔↔↔↔

 

So, Liz’s dad is a supervillain. And he’s going to jail. And Liz’s mom is uprooting their life to move to Oregon. Stumptown. Home of the world’s biggest bookstore, donuts, and comic book writers.

 

It’s weird. Michelle loves New York, but she always pictured herself as being the one to disappear to the west coast mid-semester, or maybe Maine? Somewhere coastal and mysterious.

 

Some of the girls are crying and hugging Liz. Peter and Ned are at their usual spot in the cafeteria, heads down together and not looking in her direction.

 

Peter’s walking funny today. Still supports the werewolf theory.

 

(Peter Parker is not a werewolf. Peter Parker is Spider-Man, but saying that out loud the day after Liz Toomes’s dad is arrested for fighting him is probably not the best way to drop that knowledge bomb.)

 

Michelle is so done with highschool right now, she needs some fresh air.

 

“MJ, hold up!” It’s Liz.

 

“If you wanna talk, you gotta follow me.” Michelle says.

 

The bleachers are mostly empty. Some of the jocks sit in the back row, passing a joint back and forth like they’re fooling anyone. Michelle picks one of the front rows and sits, sketchbook out.

 

Liz stands in front of her.

 

“MJ.” She says.

 

“Stay there, you’ve got great shadows on you.” MJ says.

 

“Michelle.” Liz says.

 

“What?” Michelle says.

 

“I recommended you to replace me as Decathlete team leader.” Liz says.

 

“Nooo! Don’t make me queen of the nerds. I don’t want that kind of responsibility.” Michelle says, but her ears glow pink.

 

“Nobody else there has the leadership or commitment like you do. You saved all our asses in Washington--”

 

“Pretty sure that was Spider-Man.” Michelle says.

 

Liz puts her hands on her hips.

 

“Don’t. Okay. I know you like to play it cool and act like you don’t care about anyone or anything… but knowing that you’re looking out for everyone makes leaving easier.” Liz wipes at her eyes.

 

_ (You will never find anyone as trusting or as kind) _

 

Michelle looks at her sketch. How did rain drops get on there?

 

“Okay,” She nods, “But this better not cut into my busy schedule of reading and doing nothing.” Michelle says.

 

“I think you mean pretending to read while you draw Peter Parker’s butt.” Liz says.

 

Michelle looks up at that. Liz smiles wider, despite the tears.

 

“How did you--?” Michelle says.

 

“You told me, just now. I knew it!” Liz says.

 

Michelle scoffs, tears the page out of her sketchbook and stands. She stuffs the page into Liz’s hand.

 

Liz looks down at it and smoothes out the crumpled edges.

 

“MJ, this is amazing… you didn’t sign it though.” She hands it back.

 

Michelle hastily signs, “To Liz, Love you and good luck - MJ”

 

“Perfect. It’s gonna be worth a lot some day.” Liz says, tucking the drawing into her binder for safe keeping.

 

“Shut up.” Michelle says, pulling the other girl in for a hug.

 

“I mean it.” Liz says.

 

“I’m gonna miss you so fucking much. You’re like… my only friend.” Michelle says into Liz’s shoulder.

 

“You could have other friends if you let people in.” Liz says, kissing Michelle’s forehead.

 

“Are you scared?” Michelle says when they separate.

 

“I think I’m more angry at my dad. He hurt so many people just to what… buy us a pool?” She scoffs, “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to talky to him again.”

 

“I meant about moving, but I probably should have asked about the other thing.” Michelle sits back down and stuffs her hands in her pockets.

 

“Oh. No. It’s gonna suck at first, but, new opportunity to make friends. Less likely to be invaded by aliens or giant green men.” She shrugs.

 

“Take pictures of the troll for me.” Michelle says.

 

“Only if you quit mooning over Peter and actually ask him out.” Liz sits next to her.

 

Michelle fidgets with the pages of her sketchbook, “But you and he dated and you’re my friend. He’s off limits now… rules of feminism or something, don’t you remember?” 

 

“Pinkie swear I am not Regina George-ing you when I say ‘go for it’. Maybe you can figure out what his deal is. And, if he is a werewolf I will have questions… for science.” Liz says.

 

Michelle laughs at that.

 

“We’re gonna stay friends right?” Michelle says quietly.

 

“Hell yeah, MJ and Liz for life.” Liz holds out a fist to bump.

 

↔↔↔↔

 

“Our new Team Captain will be Michelle.” Mr. Harrington says.

 

Peter, seated across from her and still nursing his ribs, looks up to level Michelle with a grin. She feels the warmth erupt from her chest up her neck to her ears.

 

“Thanks, but my friends call me MJ.”

 

_ (She’s satisfied.) _

  
  
  
  



End file.
